Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi has confirmed that Supreme Commander developer Gas Powered Games will be bringing games to platforms other than PC followings its acquisition.

“Free-to-play, which we are big advocates of, can be enjoyed on any hardware device. The hardware cannot constrain the player from getting the experience,” he told GamesIndustry.

“We would like to expand our multi-platform venture. We don’t have much experience working with consoles or mobile, but you should start one day. So we started with both Gas Powered and Day 1.”

Kislyi said the publisher hasn’t yet signed off on what Gas Powered Games and Day 1 are working on yet.

“We are still doing experiments. It’s about selecting the most cool idea for the time being, seeing if it’s technologically possible, and then beginning prototyping and production. Nothing is clear, we recently acquired those two. We just think they are veteran teams making great games,” he said.

“We need to blend that with Wargaming’s free-to-play experience, financial muscle, publishing infrastructure, and the wisdom we have with how to monetize and how you’d rather not monetize.”

Source: PCGamesN

The remnants of Gas Powered Games have begun their integration into Wargaming.net, following their acqusition by the World of Tanks developers back in February.

The new company, still headed up by Chris Taylor, is tentatively named “Wargaming Seattle”, although this may change in the future. Their first game under the new banner has not been revealed, but Taylor described it to Polygon as “free-to-play, triple-A MMO with PvP”.

As a result, some of GPG’s former staff have been rehired. “We went down to less than ten people, but we’re back up to 30 now, and that number continues to grow,” said Taylor.

Source: Polygon

Supreme Commander 2 has received an out-of-nowhere game patch, nearly two years after the last update by the studio at Gas Powered Games. The update is massive, and includes a significant overhaul of the way the game’s economy performs.

Gas Powered Games’ Steve Bauman assured PC Gamer that “there’s nothing of any significance to the timing of the patch,” referring to GPG’s recent acquisition by Wargaming.net in the wake of a failed Kickstarter which looked sure to force the studio to close.

Check out the full patch notes below:

(more…)

When GPG shut down their Wildman Kickstarter ahead of schedule, they hinted that the company has secured its future in another fashion — and now the mystery has been revealed.

Wargaming, publishers of World of Tanks and others, have announced their acquisition of the Seattle-based company for an undisclosed figure. Naturally, they’re pretty excited about it.

“Gas Powered Games’ heritage and development pedigree shows us just how valuable an addition Chris and his company will make to the Wargaming family,” said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming. “Gas Powered Games has a long track record of providing incredibly engaging AAA gaming experiences and we can’t wait to start working with them.”

Wargaming also recently acquired both Day-1 Studios (the team behind Fracture and F.E.A.R. 3) and also Big World Pty Ltd, the Canberra-based spinoff from MicroForte who develop the BigWorld engine used by the flagship World of Tanks.

Source: Blue’s News

A week after we suggested that the Wildman Kickstarter was in trouble, developer Gas Powered Games has pulled the plug on its high profile funding drive. Wildman had already attracted half a million dollars in pledges, but with only four days to go, it appeared unlikely to reach its goal of US $1.1m.

Following a series of retrenchments at the company, charasmatic founder Chris Taylor openly stated that the future of Gas Powered Games depended on the success of the Kickstarter. It’s therefore difficult to see this latest development as anything other than a crushing blow to studio best known for Dungeon Siege.

In his final message to Kickstarter backers, Taylor revealed that he has been “working in the background to find other ways to keep Gas Powered Games running” and hopes to announce “some great news in the weeks ahead”.

Source: Kickstarter

Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor has bet the house on their Wildman Kickstarter, with the future of the entire company hanging in the balance. Unfortunately, with only 9 days to go the pledge drive has faltered at only $442,000 of its $1.1 million goal — and if funding continues at the current level, the project will close barely past the halfway mark.

The Kickstarter-tracking website Kicktraq is predicting that Wildman will wind up with only $634,000 at the current rate of pledging, which — according to Chris Taylor — means that the company will fold shortly afterwards. Gas Powered Games recently let go 40 staff, and is now operating on a skeleton staff.

GPG recently announced the release of some new concept art for the game, showing players what to expect and highlighting some of the key creatures and concepts. It’s interesting stuff, so take a look — and if you like what you see, head over to the Kickstarter and pledge!

Source: Thanks to Relaxed Possum for the art!

Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor has lashed out at publishers in an interview with Eurogamer, during which he explains that multiple times publishing companies have pulled the plug on games they’re developing — including one when it was just a month out of beta.

“We got a phone call from the publisher and they said, ‘We’re terminating.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah but we’re only a month away from beta.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah we’re still terminating.’ And we’re like, ‘OK,’” said Taylor.

Taylor then went on to explain that most contracts between publishers and developers for the creation of a game were so draconian that even reading one will cause your face to melt clean off.

“One of these days – and it won’t be from me,” he said, “you guys will get leaked through some anonymous source. And you can read a game development contract, and you will – it’ll be like the Nazis when they opened up The Ark: all the flesh will melt all down your face.”

According to Taylor, the solution is more publisher executives who really believe in the products they’re paying for, “people with some backbone”.

“You need people to really slam their fist; guys like Steve Jobs, you know, who are a**holes because they believe so vehemently in what they’re doing they will f***ing… f*** bending the spoon with their mind, they’ll just snatch it out of your hand and bend it in half and stuff it up your ass! Take that! Let’s get back to work!”

Gas Powered Games recently announced their action-RPG Wildman on Kickstarter, while at the same time laying off 40 people as they stake the future of the company on the new game.

Source: Eurogamer

Unless your scroll wheel is broken you probably know that Gas Powered Games issued a round of lay-offs yesterday. We didn’t have much information at the time, but the Age of Empires Online, Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander developer has become a little more talkative in the meantime.

Christ Taylor told Joystiq that the independent company had had to let go about 40 staff, a significant number, and had to do it fast so that it could pay severance and other associated costs rather than leave employees stranded.

“I think everyone agrees better to have a few bucks to find the next job that run this train to the end and have nothing left to work with. It’s one thing for me to bet the company, but I can’t bet their last severance money, that’s not cool,” Taylor explained.

In a video update to the Kickstarter for Wildman, Gas Powered Games’ most recent (and possibly final) project, taylor spoke directly to backers, explaining the situation and – dauntingly – placing the team’s future in their hands. If the campaign picks up Steam Taylor will be ale to hire his staff back, and he’s asking commenters to advise him whether to pursue it or not.

“Do I shut the campaign down tonight, or tomorrow, and call it done? Do we kill the campaign, or do we keep it going? It’s up to you,” he said.

Source: ,Joystiq Kickstarter

Strategy veteran developer Gas Powered Games has shocked the industry today by issuing significant lay-offs.

Word first came from industry sources, but the news was later confirmed by founder Chris Taylor himself, telling Kotaku that the experience has been largely positive and he’ll be updating the public as soon as possible, and Gamasutra that he “had to slim WAY down to conserve cash reserves”.Taylor also said that Gas Powered Games “spent all the last dough” it had on Wildman, its newly announced project, and has spent “the last several months working on it”.

“So we’re betting the company on it,” he added.

The vast majority of Gas Powereewd Games’ staff is believed to have been let go. The developer is requesting $1.1 million in funding for Wildman through Kickstarter, and recently wrapped its stint as content developer for Age of Empires Online. Its past works include the original Dungeon Siege games, Supreme Commander, the flawed but promising Demigod, and cancelled passion project Kings and Castles.

Source: Kotaku

“ProjectW” is now being teased over at Gas Powered Games, where we’re asked if we’re “Ready for Something Wild?”.

“Be the first to see the next big thing from the designer of Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, Supreme Commander, and the team at Gas Powered Games,” claims the site, which is counting down to January 14.

From the word “wild” and the general aesthetic of the page, something low-tech or medieval comes to mind — but we’ll just have to wait and see. You may now commence wild speculation!